| NSF Org: |
OIA OIA-Office of Integrative Activities |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | September 12, 2016 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | June 24, 2020 |
| Award Number: | 1649201 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Bernice Anderson
banderso@nsf.gov (703)292-5151 OIA OIA-Office of Integrative Activities O/D Office Of The Director |
| Start Date: | January 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | June 30, 2021 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $300,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $300,000.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
3100 MARINE ST Boulder CO US 80309-0001 (303)492-6221 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3100 Marine St Rm 481 572 UCB Boulder CO US 80309-0572 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.083 |
ABSTRACT
Lead Proposal ID: HRD 16-1649201
Principal Investigator: Sarah M Miller
Institution: University of Colorado Boulder
Proposal Title: Creating Academic Pathways in STEM (CAPS): A Model Ecosystem for Supporting Two-Year Transfer
Collaborated Proposal ID: HRD 16-1648697
Principal Investigator: Heidi Loshbaugh
Institution: Community College of Denver
Education pathways have grown increasingly complex in recent decades and today are characterized by a multitude of entry points, stops and starts, longer times to degrees, and changing career directions. As a result, the STEM "pipeline" metaphor has become outdated, and the current institutional structures are not well suited to meeting the educational needs of today's students. This project will create coordinated strategic pathways between 2-year colleges, national laboratories, industry, and the University of Colorado Boulder aimed at changing the educational landscape and facilitating opportunities for students who begin their higher education path at 2-year colleges. In doing so, these efforts will broaden participation among those matriculating in STEM majors who are ready to engage and contribute to a knowledgeable and skilled STEM workforce. This initiative will create links and strengthen pathways to establish a systematic, holistic and sustainable transfer ecosystem that will dramatically increase the number of Colorado 2-year college students that go on to pursue 4-year STEM degrees.
This project will establish a network (hub and spoke system) in STEM education that will serve as a model for regional STEM education collaboration. These efforts will create a cooperative and transformational infrastructure that streamlines STEM pathways for diverse students from 2- to 4- year colleges. By developing a student-centered infrastructure focused on lowering and eliminating barriers that inhibit 2-year college student transfer to 4-year colleges, this initiative will encourage talented 2-year college students interested in pursuing a STEM baccalaureate to successfully transfer, ultimately advancing the technical capacity of Colorado and beyond.
PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Creating Academic Pathways in STEM (CAPS):
A Model Ecosystem for Supporting Two-Year Transfer
an NSF INCLUDES DDLP project, #1649201
The CAPS project fostered a regional STEM education collaboration in Colorado and deepened its impact in two year college (2YC), four year college (4YC), state and local government entities. During the project, CAPS aligned student, faculty, administrative and state-level systems to initiate the critical transformation of historically isolated systems that affect 2YC transfer in our state. This included a focus on creating and strengthening the linkages with stakeholders invested in improved pathways for 2YC students transferring to 4Y institutions?specifically to CU Boulder. This project served as a successful hub-and-spoke model for improved STEM education pathways and regional STEM education collaborations. Significant progress was made integrating these different ?layers? of involvement: Administrative, Policy, Faculty, and Student.
Identifying current transfer initiatives on (and off) our campus, and subsequently weaving the relationships between these different layers has been crucial in moving this project forward on our campus. At the state level, our project made inroads to adapt policy and implement far reaching changes to encourage easier transfer access for our state?s community college students. On our campus, progress was made in putting transfer ?on the radar? of those in high-level positions to affect change for transfer students. After years of neglecting the importance of transfer student success on our campus, there is now agency among department staff to contribute to the access, retention, and overall culture of transfer students.
High level accomplishments throughout the project included the following:
- Coordination of a CU Boulder campus-wide process to develop student-facing programming and data analytics that led to immediate (and future) improvements in the transfer process and the transfer culture of our campus. See sample data reports in Figure 1.
- Development of 2YC to 4YC Transfer Guides for all 18 STEM disciplines offered through the College of Arts & Sciences to assist students map their four-year academic degree courses beginning with their specific community college education. These guides were completed and uploaded to a student-facing platform in summer 2020. See example in Figures 2 and 3.
- Establishment of a CU campus-wide Transfer Success Committee, with appropriate high-level administrators and key staff, to identify actionable programming to positively impact transfer student success on the CU Boulder campus.
- Hosting of three annual Summits for stakeholders invested in transfer success. Sadly, the fourth annual Summit was cancelled in spring 2020 due to the COVID pandemic.
- Collaboration in the development of a state-wide articulation agreement for a new Associates of Engineering Science degree. The CAPS project was instrumental in elevating discussions (and subsequent action) on the degree development between the Colorado Department of Higher Education and relevant two-year and four-year college stakeholders.
Last Modified: 09/20/2021
Modified by: Noah D Finkelstein
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